Books that I have read. Plays that I have seen and everything in between…

The Remains of the Day

A very English book in the stereotypical sense of the word. It moves along at a haltering pace where each diversion leads us deeper into the knowledge of a man who knows not himself but follows blindly. A lengthy tale told in an anecdotal style, Ishiguro presents us with a bleak view of the English class system and the way in which we treat one another in a professional context. His insight into the workings and tidings of a professional butler are commendable and never do we feel that Stevens is a caricature. Here we see a man living quietly beneath an unassuming layer of self-effacement and servitude, the result is something quite disparaging for the depiction of apparently mutually beneficial relationships.